Personal Overview

Dr. Michael C. King is the Executive Director of the Florida Tech Research Institute (FTRI) and a Professor and L3Harris Endowed Chair for Assured Information in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Florida Institute of Technology. He is also a Research Scientist with the Harris Institute for Assured Information and a Distinguished Lecturer for the IEEE Biometrics Council.

Prior to joining Florida Tech, Dr. King served 14 years in the U.S. Intelligence Community, where he developed and managed research portfolios in biometrics, identity management, advanced sensors, and computational imaging. His government service included technical and research leadership positions at the National Security Agency (NSA), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA). At IARPA, he led the Biometric Exploitation Science and Technology (BEST) Program, advancing biometric technologies and transitioning research capabilities to operational use across government.

Throughout his career, Dr. King has advised and briefed senior government and scientific leaders, including the Director of National Intelligence, Congressional advisers, the Defense Science Board, and the Intelligence Science Board. From 2005 to 2012, he served as the Intelligence Community Department Lead to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy's National Science and Technology Council Subcommittee on Biometrics and Identity Management. He also served as a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committee on Facial Recognition: Current Capabilities, Future Prospects, and Governance (2022–2024).

As Executive Director of FTRI, Dr. King leads efforts to expand applied research partnerships with government, industry, and academia, emphasizing the development, integration, and demonstration of technologies that address national security and other mission-critical challenges. His leadership focuses on bridging the gap between scientific discovery and operational capability.

His current research interests include automated face recognition, biometric identification under challenging imaging conditions, cyber identity, artificial intelligence and machine learning, computational imaging, and computational psychology. His recent work also examines the responsible use of automated face recognition in law enforcement investigations, including the technical and evidentiary considerations associated with wrongful arrests and probable cause.

Dr. King earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.